Arthritis refers to inflammatory diseases occurring in the joints and surrounding tissues which contains dozens of subtypes. One of the most common arthritis, osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. Other arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis et al. The etiology of these diseases is not completely understood; and clinical manifestations include red and swollen joints; elevated temperature, pain, joint dysfunction and deformity. The commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such Ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac et al. The Voltaren™ ointment containing diclofenac as the main active ingredient is the mostly widely used drug for arthritis treatment. However, side effect such as stimulation of the gastrointestinal mucosa greatly limits the clinical application of these drugs. There is a great need of new treatment alternatives with effective efficacy and minimal side effects for arthritis.
Both selenium and zinc are essential micronutrient for human and animals. They play critical roles in normal physiology. In some areas in China, selenium deficiency leads to endemic disease. For example, the lack of selenium in the diet of population living in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, high prevalence of Kashin-Beck disease is observed, which is manifested by arthritis. Sodium selenite is a well adopted selenium-containing inorganic compound diet supplement for people with selenium-deficiency. There are a number of pharmaceutical companies in China and outside of China manufacture sodium selenite tablets for the treatment and prevention of endemic diseases include Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease; The patent CN 1511541A, CN 1679622A also disclose and patent the use of tablets, granules, capsules and oral preparations containing sodium selenite as an active ingredient as drugs to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, inorganic zinc compound, such as zinc chloride, is clinical used to treat acute or subacute dermatitis, eczema, prickly heat and mild, small area of skin ulcers as topical ointment. However, there has been no report using inorganic selenium and zinc synergistically in the treatment of arthritis.